The New Monks of the Temple
by AL0NE.IN.THE.SHAD0WS
Summary: Water, Fire, Earth, and Wind. Who knew that with each of the elements, there was an alternate one to go along with it? A continuation of the XS journey, introducing four new charracters and many chapters that will be filled with EPICNESS!
1. New Kids on the Block

Time... Couldn't it go just a _little_ faster? After standing inside of the main entrance of the Xiaolin Temple for over three hours awaiting the new arrivals, the monks were well... bored to be honest. They were forbidden to move from the places that Master Fung had set them for one, and after a night of playing cards in celebration of the news that they were all being promoted, no one was prepared to rise early in the morning to stand motionless for hours upon end.

A yawn escaped the Dragon of Wind, Raimundo Ponderosa, as he slumped his back against the stone wall behind him. "When are they supposed to get heeeere..?" He whined childishly, looking to the other monks around him.

Omi was standing with complete concentration, his black eyes staring endlessly at the wooden door that they were told the newcomers would be coming through at any given moment. He was prepared for that moment, as he was prepared for any moment. The monk was still a bit awkward with making his discomfort known because of his belief that a true warrior does not let his weaknesses be known. He was a true warrior, and he wanted everyone to be aware of his superiority.  
"I do not know when the new monks will be arriving, Raimundo; however, might I suggest doing a few laps around the room? Maybe that will cure your boredom." He said with an even tone.

The Brazilian merely sighed and slid down into a sitting position on the floor. They weren't supposed to move; otherwise, he would have already been long gone by now. His short brown hair shielded his face as the monk dropped his head and closed his eyes.

"Awww... Don't be like that Rai. They gotta be close by now," Someone across the room said in a heavy Texan accent. The figure stood with his large muscular arms crossed at the chest and was the tallest in the temple, standing to be around six foot two. Though his appearance was rough from the neck down, he had baby blue eyes that showed a great kindness within. "Besides, Master Fung's been awful strung out lately. Best not to get on his bad side..." The Dragon of Earth said.

"Clay, Master Fung has been angry at you for taking a chunk of the table with a steak knife. I don't think it had anything to do with us," a female voice addressed the cowboy with a chuckle.

Clay turned his attention to the small Japanese lady to his side and rolled his eyes. "You don't know that for sure, Kimiko. It could be 'cause you've been keepin' everyone in the temple awake with that techno junk you play at night."

Omi strayed his eyes from the cherrywood door and glared coldly to the two bickering. "You must not fight at this time my friends. We are to be setting a good example for those who are new-"

"- and not here," Raimundo cut in, bringing himself to a standing position.

"That is where you are wrong, Raimundo." A calm monotone voice cooed from the main hallway. Instantly, the four monks silenced and returned back where they had been placed in a respectful bow. Their master walked to the center of the main entrance and gave a short bow. "They are outside as we speak. The four that you will be tutoring, the four alternate elements."


	2. Sweat and Tears

Okay!! Here is the updated Chapter Twoooo! –cheering-

**^^ Now that I understand this… Bleh.**

**Anyway, this is my first fanfict, and I hope that the people reading it will give me some feedback and maybe some ideas! Reviews are loved!!!!**

**Okay. I would like to say that I don't own Xiaolin Showdown, but these ideas I do!! Huzzah!**

**Enjoy. :D**

***-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-***

With the hot summers heat beaming down on the heads of the four new chosen ones, just walking from the bus stop a mile off from the temple was an exhausting task. Luckily no one had packed heavily except for one.

The girl proudly carried her two black leather luggage bags and a brown box of other belongings with her. It was a wonder such a task was accomplished by someone so… small. The girl only stood to be around five feet tall and had a perfect delicate hourglass frame. Two braids of long blonde- almost white hair- framed her pale face that was stained of sweat and agony; however, the determination shined through in her gray eyes. No way was she about to accept help just because of some heavy bags. Weakness was something that should never be shown, along with the dependency on others. It was just what she was raised to believe. Ugh… this sunlight was just simply unbearable! Especially when you were dressed in a black spaghetti strap shirt and a pair of holed blue jeans. One would think that the exposure of her arms and shoulders would be cooling just as the holes in her jeans could add some ventilation; however, the heat was too extreme and sun burned the unprotected flesh. Not very good when you're so pale…

There was another who seemed to be having an equally troubling time trudging about the stone path to the temple, though she didn't have nearly as many belongings as the first. This heat… how was it the others kept going like this? In a land of ice and snow, there never was anytime of the year such as this. The tiny Canadian girl carried with her only a backpack with a few pairs of clothes and some personal items that were very special to her. Coming from a large family that didn't have much to begin with, she carried virtually everything that she owned on her back. A journal, some pictures of her family, and a present her mom had wrapped for her lay in her bag, and that was all she really needed. Her parents had been so proud of her when Master… Foong, was it? She couldn't remember. Anyway, at the news that she, Abigail Jones, was one of the chosen ones that were sworn to save the world from evil… There was an infinite amount of excitement in the room.

Her parents didn't have the money to go out and get haircuts for all of the children. Often her mother would just shave the heads of her boys and attack the girls with scissors. In fear of her mom ruining her auburn hair, she kept it long until it reached the small of her back before cutting off some of the dead ends. Her appearance was simple, and she loved it. Two light brown eyes with never any makeup, a full set of cherry colored lips that were complimented by her landscape of pearly white teeth. Her clothes might have not been brand named, but she sported them with pride. An electric blue thermal long-sleeved shirt hugged Abigail's curves as she dragged herself along the pavement. A pair of simple blue jeans and a pair of furry boots she had gotten from her aunt a few years back covered her legs and feet. How she wished for a pair of shorts and flip flops right now… She had definitely not dressed for this kind of weather.

In the lead of the group walked two teenagers, a girl and a boy, who had definitely came ready for the journey and had even factored in the temperature. The girl was well built and stood to be around five and a half feet tall, clothed with a pair of short black shorts and a white T-shirt with the words "I'm with stupid" in red shimmering letters and an arrow that pointed to her brother that walked at her side. Yes, the boy that was stepping in sync with her was her brother. The two were twins as a matter of fact, but they looked nothing alike and were polar opposites of each other. Kind of odd for two people who had spent their lives at one another's side. One would guess that they weren't even related; however, the family ties that kept them close were almost visible. The girl turned to her sibling with the sweetest of smiles imaginable. "I think I see the temple ahead Wolfgang! Isn't this exciting?" She said in awe as one of the bluest tiled roofs she had ever seen came into view.

The boy was silent as his cold emerald eyes shifted to the road ahead of them, though he couldn't see much with his black hair shadowing his vision. With a grunt, he shook his head in acknowledgement and uncomfortably shifted the duffel bags he carried on his back. At least they were getting closer to the temple… Carrying his clothes as well as his sisters was beginning to grow tiresome.

The girl didn't seem phased by her brother's lack of conversation and persisted on being lighthearted, even through this awful heat wave. "I can't wait to get there and unpack… I have the feeling this is going to be a good experience for us!"

Yeah, good experience… How was he supposed to have a good time when moody girls surrounded him all the time? Was it just this small group of four that were selected as the chosen ones? Of course Wolfgang kept his comments to float about in his head, but smiled at the sarcasm that leaked within his thoughts. How silly little Kiara was sometimes…

She had apparently taken the smile into the wrong context, seeing as how she couldn't exactly read the mind of her brother, and her smile grew before she twirled quickly in one spot. "So you feel the same way too? That's nice. Finally glad to see you smiling again!"

Shortly after saying this, the travel towards the door grew more hurried as everyone sped up their stride until they finally came to a stop in front of the gigantic wooden door. Kiara looked to the others with a quick grin. "Here goes nothing…." BOOM BOOM BOOM. She knocked on the door three times.


	3. Umm Hello?

^^ Hello to everyone that has been reviewing the stories!! Sorry it's taken me so long. Lots to take care of in school and stuff with finals… X.x Hates the testing.

**Anyway, I wanted to say thank you to my Kitten who has probably forced a few of her people to come and read. XD**

**You know who you are. **

**And, Chapter 4 will be coming out sometime this weekend I'm sure.**

***-*-*-Epic voice-*-*-***

**I DO NOT OWN XIAOLIN SHOWDOWN, EVEN THOUGH I WISH I DID!**

**On with the writings!**

The three knocks on the wooden door had the monk's hearts fluttering about as their patience was finally rewarded. It was Master Fung who approached and twisted the large steel handle to reveal four teenagers standing in the threshold. The first two that came through the door was a shocking sight to see. The first thing that was noticed was how enormous the guy with dark hair was… It looked like he had been built like Clay, only the boy had much less muscle mass and was composed of mostly tallness and thick bones. The shorter girl that stood to his side was definitely a change of pace. She looked to be so interested in every little thing around the room and always held a smile to her face. She even seemed to glow a bit, but that was probably because of the contrast between her pale skin and her blood red hair that fell just beyond her shoulders.

The next girl that entered was a kind spirit, smiling to each of the others as she took her presence through the door and inside the room. Raimundo even seemed a bit interested in her. She softly stood beside the other two and rested her tiny backpack on the floor at her feet.

Finally, the last girl that crawled inside through the door space was a sight to behold, even with beads of sweat falling from her forehead and a mad look in her eyes. Of course, anyone carrying so much would more then likely look similar through China's summer weather. Before she could even get halfway across the room, she felt her back being lifted of all her luggage, minus the box she held tight in her tiny hands. Some large blonde haired boy had rushed over and lifted the load right off of her own back… There was no time to protest, seeing as how just before he took them from her he lay them down on the floor carefully beside the place she was supposed to stand. With her cardboard box in hand, she proudly walked to the space in the floor which just happened to be right in front of the boy who had come to help her. Though the boy gave her a hospitable, warm smile, she didn't return it and instead lowered the rest of her belongings to the floor.

Master Fung shut the door after the rest of them had entered and floated to the center of the room. His motions seemed far calmer, more fluid, then any of the older monks had ever seen. "Welcome, new students. I am sure you all know why you are here today, seeing as I have already visited with your parents. I would like you to introduce yourselves to your teachers. They will be the ones teaching you about your quest, and will lead you on your paths to greatness."

All four of the Xiaolin Dragons stared at their master in disbelief. So this was their promotion? Being given a student?

"Master… Where will you be-" Omi began to ask before Master Fung raised his hand for silence. "I will be answering all of your further questions at the feast tonight. Rest easy for now, Omi. Now, will the four of you please introduce yourselves."

The girl with the red hair looked to the others, expecting that maybe someone had the guts to go first? The shy girl with the brown hair stood hugging her arms, an obvious sign of discomfort, and didn't look like she would be speaking up any time soon. The girl with… White blonde hair with the braids? She looked angry at the blonde haired monk that helped her out with the bags. He was only trying to help… and his bravery and chivalry was being rewarded with silent glares? How rude of her! Of course her brother wasn't going to speak up…

"My name is Kiara, and this guy is my brother Wolfgang!" She said, stepping forward and pointing to the giant at her side. As if by clockwork, the boys looked from one to the other, not seeing any sort of resemblance.

"He doesn't really talk to anyone… More then a single word is really rare. So… Yeah…" Kiara said before stepping back into lin_e_ with the others. It was pretty awkward being the only one talking…

Finally, the girl with the auburn hair stepped forward with a deep red color shading her cheeks. _Man… I must look so stupid right now…_ She thought as her eyes searched for something to look at on the floor to hold her attention. "My name is… Abigail Jones," She squeaked, her eyes shocked at the sound of her voice. Was that obnoxious sound coming from her? She didn't dare look up at them now. Instead, she shakily stepped back in line and clamped her eyes shut.

_What a pathetic sight to behold… _the thought rang in her head as the last new monk stepped forth to greet the others with her presence. Her soulless gray eyes scanned over the others, daring them all to judge her. Not that any of them had room to talk… The small yellowish colored boy was watching her expectantly. What did he want, a firework show or something? If that's what he wanted she could put on a show, but she wasn't sure it would be the kind he would want to see. There was that dark skinned boy looking at… Abigail, was it? Names were so insignificant anyhow. The only girl among the older monks was eagerly awaiting her name, or was that the hint of impatience in her eyes? If the girl was so preoccupied with speeding things up she could go ahead and leave. _I'm not here to make friends…_

As for the tall blonde boy that had taken her bags earlier, there wasn't any indication where he was looking. His eyes were being masked by a layer of blonde hair, and to further her disappointment his facial expression was completely composed. For some reason, this bothered her greatly.

"My name is Candace," she said, crossing her arms tightly as she looked at the four judging her accusingly. "Don't you think it's sort of rude that neither of you guys had bothered telling us what YOUR names are? I mean, if we are going to be taught by someone we should know who they are at least."

Master Fung cleared his throat and looked to his students. "Yes, it would be wise to know who you will be teaching, will it not?" He stepped forward towards the new arrivals and pointed first to Kiara. "Your teacher shall be Omi, Kiara, Dragon of light. Strangely fitting." He smiled sweetly, then moved along to her looming shadow. "Wolfgang, you shall be taught by Kimiko as the Dragon of Darkness. Be wise. Not venting powerful emotions will make it hard to control yourself." Master Fung checked to see if his warning had been heeded, however the boy made no movements what so ever, so instead he decided to move along. "Abigail… You shall hold the powers of electricity under the supervision of Raimundo," He said, pointing to the Brazilian in a deep stare in her direction. "Good luck. As for Candace… She will be with our final teacher, Clay, as the dragon of Metal."

Master Fung turned toward the main hallway and began his journey away from the eight monks. "You will all be escorted around the temple and shown where you are to go, where you are to sleep, and your training schedules. I hope that you all find your accommodations to your liking, and we will be meeting in the dining area at one o'clock sharp." He called over his shoulder before making an abrupt turn down a separate hallway and disappearing.

Omi, Kimiko, Raimundo, and Clay all looked to the person they were assigned to. It seemed as though for a moment their minds were in sync with each other as the silent words reached their lips.

_This is going to be interesting…_

Well, how was that? ^^

**Bleh. I've been trying to spend some quality time with the sibs lately so this one took me awhile. **

**Next one should be around the same length, or longer, but I don't have any homework or anything so this shouldn't take me so long. YAAAY!!!!**

**So, leave me some more reviews and I'll keep updating. **

**Deuces.**


	4. Staredown

**Okay, let's start out with the reviewers. Love you kitten. Also, THANK YOOOH to the other 4 of my reviewers! I hope you know the feedback is loved. ^^**

**Sorry this one was so short, but it's early in the morning and I haven't slept yet, plus I'm doing all of this with a serious case of writers block. The next chapter following this one will be posted no later then next weekend, and it will be in Clay's POV! I get off early for my exam days on Thursday and Friday so I should have enough time to write! Yaya.**

**And to end it all, I don't own XS for some reason…Aww.**

Kiara, Wolfgang, Abigail, and Candace looked expectantly at their counterparts who looked like they were saltwater fish just dipped into a fresh water tank. Kimiko just stared at the massive boy she was supposed to teach… How was she supposed to with someone so large compared to herself? He looked to be the size of a truck!

Omi approached his student in a different manner, greeting her with a wide smile spread across his face as he approached. "Hello there Kiara! My name is Omi, and I will be the one to teach you!" With his small stature and his confidence, he was just so… adorable! She couldn't find it in her heart to believe that someone so innocent would be teaching her things like punching and kicking the snot out of people. She unexpectedly found herself pinching one side of his squishy cheek and giggling uncontrollably. "Hey Omi. Awww… You know your skin is really soft." Though she was crouched onto her knees, she had to look down to him see his face still. This whole fun sized teacher thing was definitely going to be a weakness of hers.

Omi was surprised at the sudden human contact but otherwise he enjoyed it. "Thank you very much! Your hands are very slippery!" He said cheerfully, seeing this as the correct exchange. Kiara quickly drew her hand away from him and eyed her palm filled with sweat. She had been out in the sun after all…

Kimiko saw the display from across the room and giggled silently to herself. Someone really should have told the poor girl of Omi's social awkwardness… Well, better to learn with a firsthand experience.

It seemed as though the social slump was something in the air. Raimundo was left to stare at Abigail, unsure of what to say to her. She already knew his name, her element, what they were going to do, so what else was there to say? "Umm… Hello." He coughed out discretely, his eyes resting on the wall opposite to her. Abigail still stood in the same position as she had after her introduction was made, continuing her lack of movement more because of the stun of having someone talk to her even after that display of retardedness. Maybe there was hope for her yet? She lifted her head to see her teacher blushing as well. Hmm… That sure was odd. "Hello… So…We are going to take a tour around the temple?" she asked. A conversation starter. That's just what they needed.

Raimundo nodded and smiled as their eyes met. The two walked with understanding towards the main hallway then, leaving the others to sort out matters for themselves.

It seemed as though Omi and Kiara were making their way down the hallway too... EEP! Something heavy and cold hit Kimiko on the shoulder. Cold? That was unusual. She spun around to see that Wolfgang was staring down at her with a perplexed stare in his green eyes. They were so beautiful…

"Oh, you want to go and look around too? Come on… I'll show you the rooms first so you can set those down." Kimiko said, finding herself understanding the strange giant. The fact that his mind was read only made Wolfgang look all the more puzzled as he removed his bag and his sisters from the floor. Was it that obvious all of a sudden, or had his mind always been so plain on his face for everyone to see? No matter what the answer, he followed the small Japanese girl out of the room and into the large hallway that branched out through the rest of the temple.

The room was silent with everyone gone. No Omi to make the mood brighter, no Raimundo to say something that made everyone laugh, no Kimiko to talk with for the sake of noise.

The only thing that seemed to be living in breathing was Clay, because the demon staring back at him with such distaste could not have had a heart.

**OOOHS. **

**^^ Kinda leaves you hanging there now doesn't it? Who knows what shall happen when demon Candace is left with Clay!! No really. Who knows. O.O**

**I know I don't. xDD**

**Anyway, if you were just so excited to read and skipped over the first part, the next chapter is going to be in Clay's point of view and will be up next weekend. **

**Anyway, hope yall liked it!**


	5. Clash of the C's

**As promised, here is the next chapter in Clay vision!!! xD Oh, and another thing. It came to my attention that I was telling everyone I loved kitten (me self) When I should have said I love my Pup! All the name stuff gets confusing OKAY!**

**I have no clue when the next chapter will come out. Might be later on tonight, could be next weekend. I don't know so just keep an eye out for me. ^-^**

**Alright then, with that said, enjoy!**

_Here we go back to being bored again…_ I was sure that when the new guys got here things would at least lighten up a bit. Guess not. Then again, all the others' tag alongs looked like they were pretty dang happy to be here.

Not Candace.

The way she keeps staring at me… Did I do something wrong already? The only thing I said to her so far was… No wait, I didn't say anything to her yet, so that wasn't it. Still, she had that look in her eyes and a crossing to her arms like I went up and smacked her across the face.

I slowly inched towards her to close some of the distance in between us so that I could get a better look at who she really was. As I came closer, she looked like she was trying to catch me on fire with those eyes of hers, yet they held a certain tired look to them. Was she trying to intimidate me? Someone so small and frail lookin' as her? She doesn't even come up to my collarbone… How funny.

"Is there somethin' wrong?" I asked, imitating her stance.

She acted like she didn't hear me, and instead passed me by like I was part of the wall. What a nice way to greet someone…

I followed in her footprints until she came to a halt in front of her bags and reached down to pick them up. Despite her rudeness, I decided to show her there were no hard feelings and snatch them up for her.

Candace didn't seem all that thrilled.

Before I even knew what was going on she had a manicured finger pointing up to me, with teeth bared and clamped tightly together she spoke. "I do not need anyone's help getting my things! I have two arms, I can take care of it myself. DROP! THEM! NOW!!!"

I wasn't expecting a 'thank you' out of her, but I sure as heck wasn't expecting something like that to happen either. I must have looked surprised to hear such an angelic voice used with such malice because she seemed to enjoy whatever reaction I handed to her. Whether she thought she could do it herself or not I was carrying them for her. It was the way I was taught to treat women and I wasn't just about to stop, though I was beginning to question whether she was a lady or not… I felt sorry for her too. Someone so small shouldn't be left to carry that much by herself.

She looked as if she were questioning my sanity as I stood up with both of her luggage bags strapped to my back and her box in my hands. Forgetting that look of disbelief I started for the hallway.

"Are you thick in the head or did that crazy master guy set me up with some deaf kid?! I said drop them!" she yelled to me, catching up and stepping at my heels. I couldn't help but smile. She suuure is a trooper! A normal person would have been done with it or would have been scared to rebel against someone like me. It was obvious that with one kick of my foot or one punch of my fist she would be out for the count, not that I would EVER consider doing something like that, but it was a fact. To her, I was a giant. And yet she persisted. I couldn't help but laugh.

"I ain't thick and I ain't deaf. It's called bein' nice," I chuckled, turning my head to the side so that I could see her more clearly. Candace looked as if she were about to protest, but when she saw my face she grew silent. Maybe kindness was something foreign to her?

"The door on the right is the kitchen and right before that on the same side of the hall was the infirmary… You gettin' all this?" I asked, still looking back at her. She gave me a silent nod and refused to make eye contact.

Great... I had made her go from angry to sad in a matter of minutes. Some teacher I was cut out to be.

_I don't think emotionally crippling your students is one of the things you're supposed to accomplish big guy…_

I already tried the caring approach, which failed miserably, so there was nothing left for me to do but wait until her mood passed.

_Might as well show her around while it's still quiet…_

"Dining room is the door just across the hall from the kitchen, and then the meditation room is the last door on the end of this other hallway right after this room which is pretty much a big cabinet…" As we walked together I was pointing out each of the doors I was talking about, and she seemed to understand. Her eyes were focused ahead of me though, as if she were waiting for something to happen. I followed her eyes forward until... OOF!

The side of my face hurt… must've hit something… How'd I get all the way down here? Looking up from the floor, I could see the upside down image of Candace was… giggling? Wow. This whole emotional rollercoaster she's been makin' me ride sure is giving me a stomachache…

Turns out I was so occupied watching her that I smacked right into the paper door at the end of the hallway. Through her laughs I struggled to make myself vertical again, fighting against the pounds of dead weight on my back trying to push me back to the floor.

"Glad to see somethin' out of you… Though I don't think makin' a fool of myself was quite worth it." I grunted, continuing down the last hallway that contained all of the bedrooms. Candace continued to snigger to herself as she followed, seemingly uncaring to whether I was alright or not.

We started to pass some of the cubicles, first was Omi's, then Raimundo, Kimiko, my own, an empty space, and the next seemed to be already settled in to. Oh no… I quickly ran a check over the other three to see that they had all been taken too. Looks like my new student was going to be taking the space beside me. I didn't show her my disappointment as I turned to her and pointed inside the small room. "Looks like this is where you're gonna be sleeping."

Candace stopped laughing and looked inside at the small space. Puzzled, she returned her gaze up to me. "In here? Are you serious? It's… so _small_," she whined, stepping inside. I followed her in a few steps, seeing as that was all it really took, and set her belongings gently to the floor one at a time.

_Yeah, well you are too… How big of a space do you need to sleep in? This girl is gonna get a handful once we start training… pampered little…_

"Well I guess it wont take you long to unpack then. Good luck with that," I said, turning for the door. If she didn't want me around to carry her stuff in the first place, I doubt she would want me handling her things either. I flicked the small wooden door out of my way and just before heading out to mind my own business and get ready for training, I heard the strangest thing…

"What was that?" I asked, turning on my heels to watch her behind a blur of blonde hair. Candace was kneeling at the floor with her hands sweetly in her lap looking to me pleadingly. "I said where do I go after I'm done...?" she sounded unsure of what she was saying to me.

_Probably masking up some bad word she mumbled when I was leaving…_

Against my better judgement, I couldn't believe that she would do something so rude when she was watching me like that.

Where was she supposed to go…? I couldn't remember. All I knew was I had to be outside for training soon. With a sigh, I knew what had to be done.

"I'll be outside by the time you're done… Jus' go out the door I slammed in to and we'll all be out there. Can't miss us."

Surprisingly, she greeted the new information with a small smile and nodded toward me to leave. I was more surprised to hear her voice used in such a nice manner. "Thank you… Clay. I will see you outside then." She sang before she leaned forward to shut the door at my nose.

My feet didn't seem to want to move for a few seconds as I tried to take in what had happened. So she had gone from hating me to saying something nice? The change of pace was nice, but how long would it last…? Leaving my unanswered questions behind me, I quickly made my way down the hallway to the door outside.

It was time for blood, sweat, tears, and a good ol' excersize.

**Not the best of my work I have to admit…. . **


	6. The Silence is Broken

You know, I never ever planned to write that much for this chapter, but somehow it came to be over two thousand words long. The longest chapter I've done so far. O-O

**Anyway, gotta put the usual stuffs here. Thank you girls (I don't think any guys have read this so I feel safe putting it on here. xD) for all of the reviews!!!!**

**I don't own the awesome XS, even though I would give up my spleen to make it mine and have it on the air again!!!!**

Stepping out into the sun was like a wish for death by dehydration and third degree sunburns. In contrast to the cool shade of the temple this was surely what hell felt like, or at least just like Texas in the middle of summer. Clay squinted through the intense light in search for his friends. Not even the shade of his hat could help him through this one. The ground was so warm, the steam coming from the slowly dying grass made everything in the distance looked like it was moving… He couldn't tell the difference from the bean bag dummies used for training or a live person. Luckily the grunts of the warriors clashing was enough to guide him to the sandy training arena on the far side of the yard.

They were all in pairs: Kimiko with Raimundo, Omi with a persistent Kiara, and Wolfgang with Abigail. The last pair had already been tagged out and were cooling off on a grassy area in the shade of a broad leafed tree, both blowing on the bottoms of their feet. The sand must have really been hot, though the two pairs still in the arena seemed to not be phased.

"Okay Kiara, now we are going to work on your kicks. You must lift your foot off the ground high enough that it is above Kimiko's head, and you must make sure that you are fierce with your actions! Are you ready!" Omi wheezed, fanning himself with both of his hands. This kind of physical activity plus no water in the air to cool him off was definitely taking its toll. Kiara seemed peppy enough though, not even breaking a sweat. "I'm ready teacher dude Omi!" she called out happily, balling up her fists and holding her arms at perfect 90 degree angles at either side of her body. With her eyes she challenged the other students across from her… daring someone to make the first move.

Raimundo of course was not about to make the same mistake two times in a row… There was a slight lump on one side of his face just under the cheekbone where he had obviously been hit by something, and by the way Kiara was smiling at him made it apparent that the perpetrator had been herself. Ah, the look on his face when her foot caught him by surprise… Surely they weren't going to treat all of them like little kids just because they were new to the scene, right?

So it was Kimiko who was left to make the first move and step up to the challenge that stood six inches taller then herself. Being bigger didn't mean that Kiara had won the fight just yet… With jetlike speed, Kimiko dashed forward to close the large space in between them and begin the battle.

By the time Kimiko had come close enough to strike, Kiara was there to meet her with an open palm… that later smacked the small Japanese girl in the ribs and sent her breathlessly spiraling towards the ground. Even Omi hadn't been expecting that to happen. While Raimundo was ran over to aid Kimiko in standing up, Omi was rushing toward Kiara with open arms ready to clasp onto her leg in an inescapable death grip. "That was moooost amazing Kiara! Though I did not order you to do that just yet… But still most impressive for a new student!"

The proud Kiara looked down to her teacher with a triumphant smile. "Awww, Thanks Omi! I couldn't have done it with out you!" Lie. She didn't really want to tell him that she had YEARS of experience with fighting with her bigger brother to teach her the real basics… She was worried his clingy and happy attitude would disappear, and learning with a teacher who based his lessons on seriousness was no fun at all. Of course she couldn't believe someone so bouncy and lighthearted could have a strict bone in his body.

"Of course you could not have done it with out me… Hehehehe." Omi was blushing as he finally slid off of her leg to sit on the ground. He stared curiously at Kimiko. "Is she going to be okay?" He asked, seeing that she wasn't getting up off of the dirt.

Little did they know, she didn't really want to move. How embarrassing… everyone had just witnessed HER getting owned by some new girl. Would she ever live it down? Surely the image of Kiara would bring about that moment back into her head… Swallowing her pride, she got to her feet slowly and allowed Raimundo to help her remove the sand from her robes. "That was a nice one Kiara… Maybe we should try that again!" she grunted, holding the site where she had been hit.

"No way do you get another go! I want me a piece of that!" Clay said as he quickly ran into the arena to stand in the hot sand. Kiara and Kimiko both weren't quite sure how he had meant that, but passed it off as Raimundo backed off and made his way to the grass. "Pfft… Go for it man. She already got the best of Kimi and me. Apparently she isn't as new at this as we would've thought."

Clay had already seen Kimiko's butt get handed to her, but hadn't noticed Raimundo's proof of battle until just now. He gave him an amused smile before turning back to Kiara. "Alrighty then, lemme see what she can do then. Y'all watch and learn…"

As the others began to flee the arena to go to a different area to watch, Kiara's confidence was shot down. This guy was even bigger then her brother and he was going to come at him with kicks and punches? No way was she going to be able to pull this off! Omi seemed to have faith in her at least. "Do not worry Kiara! He does not hit women!!" He shouted from the shade of the nearby tree. Phew… That was a relief. Then what _was_ he going to do if not strike back at her? She had never heard of a fighting style that didn't involve physical contact…

Clay stretched out his arms and legs on the other end of the arena as she was trapped in deep thought, ready for anything she was about to dish out. Though he was skilled with using his strength for attacking purposes, he was even better at applying them to his defense. The cowboy readied himself by pushing his hat further down in front of his eyes and taking a wide stance. His hands were balled up in to fists at his sides. "So, you ready to go yet Kiara?" He asked, motioning with one hand for her to come at him.

His self assurance that he would be the victor made Kiara a bit peeved. Who did this guy think he was, King of the Ring? Heh. She would show him! There was no opponent she couldn't make kneel before her!

"Depends, Clay, are you sure you're ready for me?" She asked in a cocky tone, resting her hands on her hips.

"Always ready to win!" He responded with a grin. So she was going to try and intimidate him with attitude? That would surely be her downfall…

Though the conversation of banter before the match was just soooo interesting… The other monks were watching something else entirely. Candace had finally decided to join the group outside, now dressed in her temple robes and looking mighty awkward. Kimiko, Omi, and Raimundo were all dressed like her… but none of the newer monks like herself had bothered to fit the training attire. How embarrassing… She took a seat between Wolfgang and Abigail who turned their eyes away at that moment, wondering what was going on. Why was everyone just sitting around? Where was her teacher? All of the answers came to her as she followed the glances of her superiors… Clay and Kiara were standing inside a big sandy circle, staring each other down.

To be honest, Candace thought her teacher would be much too nice to hurt anyone at all. She thought that someone could just simply ask her pushover sensei to lie down on the ground, and he would be defeated. That was before she saw Kiara rush forward and deliver a roundhouse kick towards Clay's torso. That was before she watched as Clay caught her in mid air with his strong hands and flipped her onto her back. That was before she witnessed Kiara slam onto the hot sand and the wind rush quickly from her lungs. Candace had now come to realize just how menacing those big muscles clinging to her teacher's arms really were.

Especially after Wolfgang stood up to protest. The large powerhouse of a boy almost flew to the site where his sister lay.

What was that hick thinking, doing that to his sister? She was not only a lot smaller, but was completely defenseless against someone who had been here for… Well, he didn't honestly know how long they had been here, BUT it had to be for much longer then the rest of them had. Wolfgang raised his large bony fist to the back of the cowboy's head as he was leaning over Kiara, aiming it quickly for the back of his neck. That was sure to show him not to mess with his poor sister…

Kimiko, Omi, and Raimundo all stood up, in shock that Wolfgang dared to challenge Clay. "NONONONONO! Get BACK here Wolfgang! DROP THE FIST!!" Kimiko howled, rushing from her cool spot in the shade out in to the hot sun. Raimundo and Omi both stood, ready to watch what they knew would happen if he decided to try and make a move on the Dragon of Earth. They weren't about to go and run out there though. Hey, if he wanted to learn the hard way, he could go right ahead.

Clay already knew that Wolfgang was hovering behind him, threatening to strike at him while his back was turned, and yet he resume his business at Kiara's side. She wasn't hurt badly at all, but she had indeed been knocked breathless from the almost instant transition from air to floor.

The fact that he didn't bother to turn to him was making Wolfgang furious. He WAS a threat, and yet he was being passed off as a child holding a little rock? His fist flew out from beside him before he could think.

"Oh Wolfie, I'm fiiiine!" Kiara's voice rang out from behind Clay's body block. As the cowboy stood with Kiara in his arms and spun around to face him, he noticed the genuine excited smile that lit her face. "That was fun Clay! Damn! I didn't know you could move that fast!" she giggled, slowly wiggling her way from his arms. Clay made sure she would be right on her feet before letting her go, tapping his hat upwards to cast Wolfgang a quick warning glance. "I'd say it's better to learn something from your own experience then from someone else telling you…" he said, watching as Kimiko came to stand at her student's side. His words definitely held a double meaning there, and both Wolfgang and Kimiko caught it. Kiara seemed to be in her own little world as she danced to the shaded area to meet the others.

"Guess it's time for us all to split up and teach, huh?" Clay said with an innocent smile. "Good luck Kim. Wolfie." He dismissed himself, holding back the laughter he so desperately wanted to let loose as he walked around them to meet Candace.

"Clay…" Wolfgang growled in a deep voice as he took out something from his pocket. A journal? The cover was black and it had a small pen hooked to its spine. He removed the pen from its perch and with his hand began to scribe something within it's contents, an evil scowl glowing in his eyes as he did so.

Kimiko was stunned at the rarity of the moment. Didn't Kiara say that Wolfgang wouldn't talk to anyone? Whatever it was that had just happened between Clay and him had obviously given him speech. And where did that book come from? She stood on her tiptoes to see what the giant had been writing, but to her disappointment he shut it before she could get a good look and put it back into his pocket. "Okay then… I guess we should start working on… stuff." She whimpered, leading him away from the scene.

Clay had taken Candace off to the open area containing the practice dummies, Abigail and Kiara were left to talk as their teachers towed them to the obstacle course, and Kimiko was bringing Wolfgang far away from wherever Clay was going… She had the strangest feeling that the rivalry between those two would be unlike anything else she had ever seen…

Alright, how was that!?!? ^^ Hopefully, it was good enough for someone to read that much. Heh. .

**The next chapter…I don't have anything planned this upcoming weekend so I think it'll be up around next Sunday!!! How lovely. I haven't thought of any specific POVs to do for the next one so I can't give yall any hints. :/ Sorry. Anywhoo! I will see you all next weekend! *Poof***


	7. The Darkness Within

Okay, so this was a sudden and out of the blue decision, but this chapter is going to be in Wolfgang's point of view. ^^ Yaaaaay! The first new kid to be in the spotlight! If you've ever wondered what goes through his head when he isn't talking- THE SUSPENSE IS OVAH! xD

Alrighty then. The usual stuffs. I love my Pup. Thank you all for the reviews. ^^ I likes to read them. Makes me feel all specially and stuffs. –sniffle-

AAAAAND I don't own XS. Sadface.

_This place is already starting to get on my nerves… First my room gets put beside that sissy little Candace girl and I get stuck with this annoying teacher who probably doesn't even know how to fight… Obviously she doesn't... If she can't take on my sister she will not be of any use to me. And then that Cowboy had the nerve to call me… Wolfie. _

I felt a shiver run up and down my spine as I remembered the awful moment. I couldn't believe I was expected to just let him go after that… Just goes to show how little of a backbone these monks have.

_And now I am one of them…_

Disgusting.

How I wish to be back in New Zealand again with the only quest in life being taking care of my sister. Just the two of us like it used to be. No mother left to tell us what to do, no father left to come home and beat us… I had already taken care of that problem years ago. Kiara didn't seem to mind the thought that they "left" us either. Actually, that was the most probable excuse for their absence that I could have given her aside from the horrible truth…. His parents never even wanted them… No one ever did, and that's why they had lived alone for most of their life.

_And that's just how I like it._

The Japanese girl turned around on her heels so quickly I barely had time to stop walking. She held a certain reluctance to say anything and looked sort of worried. It was sort of funny to see her so fearful, and yet sort of sad. Her lips were quivering with the weight of her unspoken words and she looked on the brink of tears. Uh oh. I stepped back a few paces to stand clear of the waterworks.

"Please… I don't really know you that well, and I don't know what just happened… but can you do something? For me?" She asked in a pleading tone.

Ugh… Look she was giving me reminded me of when Kiara had begged me to come to the temple with her. Now look what was happening. No more would I give in to such foolishness, so I decided to only stare at her. Apparently the hint wasn't enough, because she continued to talk.

"Just ignore what happened earlier. With Clay. I don't know what went on exactly, but that isn't normally how he is with anyone. He's normally the neutral one that breaks up the head-butting… "

_Probably just because no one has ever wanted to butt heads with him like I do… Probably because everyone else has been too scared too…_

"Anyway, what I'm trying to say is you shouldn't go looking for a fight here. We're all… like a family. We try to look out for each other. There is going to be a time for heartfelt fighting, but it wont be within the temple. Save the punches for the real enemy…" She smiled up to me and wiped something from the corner of her eye.

_So she's really passionate about her 'family'… At least we have some common ground here._

I looked off to see where my sister had gone to… The little guy that was her teacher seemed to be keeping her happy and busy. He was trying to keep her upright while she balanced on one of the wooden poles they had sticking up from the ground. Good luck with that! _Kiara is just about as graceful as a rhino. _Strangely, she was actually standing for quite some time until Abigail came along and toppled into her. Both of them came tumbling down until SMACK! Right into the ground… I couldn't help but laugh a little, but then worry soon creeped up on me…

Until both of the girls started laughing. I watched Kiara try to stand again, but then she fell right back to the dirt in a laughing fit. _She's so goofy sometimes… At least she's happy._

Something caught me by the hand and was towing me away. I had almost forgotten about Kimiko… Where exactly was she going with this? The answer came when I saw some sort of garden in front of us. What were we going to do, wrestle with the flowers? The questionable look I was giving her must have given her the hint to explain herself. Just goes to show- you can say a lot without having to say anything at all.

"I'm going to show you something that will hopefully be able to calm you down a bit if you feel angry again… Master Fung said it would be dangerous to keep your feelings inside, and since you don't talk…" Kimiko said, still dragging me to… wherever it was we were going. Not soon enough, we ended up stopping at the edge of a huge puddle of water surrounded by wide leafed trees that kept the area in complete shade. She finally released my hand and hopped across the water onto one of the cement squares that showed up every once in awhile in the water. No way was I going to follow her in there. I had never told anyone this before… but I am deathly afraid of the water. Swimming wasn't really the problem here… I had learned to do that when I was young, but there was something else… Something else that always made my skin crawl… I spat at the water in distaste and watched as a school of small fish came to explore the foreign object in the water.

Kimiko jumped to another one of the gray squares sticking out of the water and sat down with her legs crossed. "This is the calmest spot at the temple I know of… besides the meditation room inside. That's what I want to teach you. To meditate on the things that are bothering you."

_You mean like you…?_

I smiled at the thought and took a seat facing her at the edge of the death liquid. She apparently took my look of happiness as something like gratitude and smiled back. "I thought you would appreciate that. Now. Close you eyes… And just let your thoughts take you to a place entirely different.." She said, closing her eyes and easing that grin off her face. Now that she was done talking I had time to actually think…

I looked around aimlessly for something to entertain me. Meditating wasn't sounding like the best idea to me right now… I already knew how to zone out, and most of the time it didn't exactly have a calming effect.

_What to do… What to do…. Hmmm, I could get out of here right now since she has her eyes closed, but either way there isn't going to be anything to do once I'm gone…_

I frowned and began to look around again. The flowers sure were an interesting sight… Full of vibrant colors that kept my eyes amused. There was one in particular that caught my eye. It had a black center and red petals that were cut in half by a thick black line. It looked sort of lonely, being surrounded by petals of yellow and pink… Sort of reminded me of how I was feeling right now, so I leaned over to liberate it from the ground. Finding my black book inside my pocket, I pulled it out and turned towards a page that hadn't been scribbled on to press the flower inside for all eternity. Little did I know, I had an audience…

"What did you do that for?" the Japanese girl asked curiously, tilting her head to one side. As if I was going to give her an answer or something, she stayed quiet and expectant. No one really knew what my journal was for, and that was how it was going to stay. Even Kiara hadn't laid her eyes on it. Besides that, there weren't many words as much as there were trinkets I'd picked up through the years, (I even had a really valuable necklace in here somewhere) and the only words that did exist were all extremely personal. I shrugged to her absently and stared back at her with curiosity. Why was she so interested in what I was doing anyway? I knew I couldn't be that interesting to behold, so why all the attention? Her on the other hand… Believe it or not she was actually something to look at. Not so much her figure that only appeared to have a small curve in those robes as her porcelain face. She must have seen me eyeing her because a pink color glowed on her pale cheeks and she looked to the pond water in disbelief. HA! What a sight that was!  
I decided to follow her instructions (_better late then never)_ and began to meditate, and just as I thought the visions behind my dark eyelids weren't at all calming. All I could see was that dumb cowboy's face… It angered me, and to make it worse there was a hint of jealousy. Everyone already knew not to mess with him. How did he acquire such deep respect? Why did everyone fear for my safety when I tried to challenge him? Sure the guy was bigger then I am, but Kimiko had said before that he was normally the neutral one. How did everyone fear him if he never fought? What ever the circumstance, I wanted that sort of respect and fear to burn passionately inside of their hearts, and I want to do what ever I can to make it happen…  
But what could I do? Maybe prove myself in our training sessions? _I sure didn't do that last time because that damned sand was burning the soles of my feet off, and the light was so intense…_ but maybe there was still hope. Perhaps there was still a chance to change it all tomorrow. I wasn't going to go straight for Clay though… _No, that would be stupid… I'll work my way up the line. First that Candace chick, and then Abigail…_

But then all that was left was my sister. Could I do that to her? They had their share of playing fights before… but could I actually fight seriously against the only family I have? For now I couldn't decide. _I mean… It IS Kiara after all… she would be so caught up with being the best that she would take it seriously too. Then after her… the big bosses._

Suddenly I felt something tapping on his shoulder. "Helloooo…? Wolfgang? Didn't you hear, it's time to go!" The voice belonged to Kimiko.

I opened my eyes to see that it was considerably darker then when I had closed my eyes. How long had I been out of it? _Note to self, if you want to pass the day by meditate…_ I raised myself off the ground to find that my body was feeling a lot more relaxed, even though my mind hadn't been the whole time. I was actually grateful that she had showed me that, so as a reward of thanks I gave her a genuine smile. She seemed to enjoy it enough and smiled back at me. "Come on! I'll race you back up to the temple!" She squeaked before dashing off. Boy was she fast! Though my normal instincts told me to just walk alone, I found that my feet were flying out from under me. She was coming into view… then she was running at my side for a moment and I pulled forward… _I soooo have this. Silly little girl, challenging me… _The back steps and door to the temple were growing nearer… And then all that I knew suddenly ended.

Kimiko closed the few inches between us with an extended arm that latched onto my shirt and tugged me back into second place. She flew up the steps before me and tagged the door.

_What a cheater…_ And yet I found myself almost admiring her. Almost. She was panting as she looked up to me with a silly grin. "Well, that was fun. You'll need to change before we eat dinner. You remember the way to the kitchen, right?" She asked, opening the door. I nodded, though I was unsure if I really DID remember the way back. I could always just find someone else going in the same direction and stalk him or her to the kitchen. "Good. Be there in half an hour."

Then she was gone, leaving me alone in the open door way.

She asked if I knew my way to the kitchen… She didn't ask if I knew my way to our rooms.

_Uh-Oh… Now we have a problem…_

With a sigh I pulled myself inside the unfamiliar palace of dread and began my quest.

Dang… If I would have posted this twenty minutes sooner, it would have been the exact time I posted the last chapter too. xD

SOOO CLOSEE!!!

No ideas for POV for the next chapter either. Bleh. I am so dead in the brain… X.x Either way, thank you all for reading and the next chapter will be up next Sunday as always! Cheers!


	8. Days to Come

I think I have a little explaining to do with my absence of… I think a month or three weeks or something like that. I've been really busy adjusting to a few things and haven't had the time to really sit down and catch up with some of my friends that pretty much have given up on my now, much less write anything significant.. Anyway, Hope yall like this! I'll be sure to have the next one up as soon as I can.

Though the food hadn't quite yet been set out on the table, Clay and Raimundo lingered around the kitchen in complete silence, both minds straying further and further from reality. It had been about thirty minutes since the monks were due inside for dinner. Normally everyone would already be sitting down and waiting for a delicious display of noodles and broth, but where were the others at? It was very unusual for Omi to be late to anything…

Sure enough the small monk came in breathless having ran down the halls in an attempt to not be tardy. At once he noticed Kimiko was not there, but he also noticed something else… Clay and Raimundo were looking worried about something. That couldn't be good. Not wanting to break the silence, Omi sat down at his seat at the now extended table and waited patiently for the others to arrive. The seconds seemed to be passing like minutes as he held his tongue, and once he had reached his max of three minutes of being quiet, he decided to entertain himself by counting the chairs at the table. There was himself in a chair, one reserved for Kiara, Wolfgang, Abigail… Then Raimundo, Kimiko, and Clay's usual chairs… but there was one missing. Eight places for them to sit at this newly extended table, but there were nine places to fill. He turned his head to speak to the others, but before any words could escape him the silence in the room was broken.

A rather tired looking Kimiko crawled through the door, trailing behind her were the newest additions to the temple. "Finally made it… You sure you guys showed them where everything was? None of them even seemed to remember we HAD a kitchen." She sighed, stepping to the side and resting her back against the doorframe. The fact that either of them didn't' bother showing their students some of the most important places in the temple was unsettling, but what was even more annoying was the silent treatment she was given from the both of them.

Wolfgang led the other three inside the kitchen looking around in distaste. _It was seven o'clock at night and they were in a kitchen. Wasn't there supposed to be food on the tables? There weren't even any signs that anyone had bothered to make a meal…_

Together Kimiko, Kiara, Wolfgang, and Abigail took their seats at the desolate table, their heads filled with quiet questions, but little did they know their answers were in pace behind them.

"Something happened… With Master Fung," Raimundo started, his hands balling up into fists at his sides as he continued to walk around. The situation immediately took a tense turn for all of them. Omi turned around in his chair to look at Raimundo with wide eyes. Something had happened to the person that had raised him, that took him in as his own, that taught him everything he had come to know… he wanted to know exactly what was up. "What exactly DID happen to Master Fung? Did he get hurt? Is he sick? Is he mad at us?" He quizzed, looking around the room only to see masks of confusion hiding his friends once happy faces. There wouldn't really be a reason for their master to be angry with them… _He said seven o'clock. It is seven ten. Even Master Fung is not that strict…_

Clay suddenly came to a standstill and leaned against the wall, his arms crossed tightly at his chest and his head bent low. "It's worse then him bein' mad at us Omi… Master Fung is gone," he said with absolutely no emotions leaking through. "He up and left on us, buddy."

Raimundo stopped pacing. Kimiko gasped and stopped breathing. Omi sat speechless.

Silence.

"Master Fung never just 'up and leaves'. He must be around here some where," Omi insisted what felt like hours later. Candace finally looked up from where she stood close to the door and shook her head. "I noticed the old man was packing up when Clay and I were training… Some green lizard thing took him into the sky and I guess that's when he…"

Clay's eyelids crushed over his blue orbs before he pushed himself from the wall. "You mean you saw him leaving and didn't say anything at all? You didn't find him leavin' the least bit weird? Not important at all? You didn't-" He cut himself off and fell back into his place against the wall, not wanting to guilt her any longer. It wasn't all her fault… How would she know what to do, having only been here for less then a day?

Candace flinched at her teacher's hostile words and backed away from him a little, her subconscious fear in him growing ever so slightly. "I only meant… If I knew what he was doing-" Kimiko silenced her as she turned around to Clay with her brows dipped. "You know that isn't her fault, Clay. The blame doesn't belong to anyone."

"That, and we don't even know if he's just gone for a day. Master Fung COULD be just running an errand for all we know. I say we cut off the assumptions for now and get on with our lives…" Candace murmured, her eyes slowly sliding from the floor to her sensei's face. He looked sorry for what he had said at least, and as though he was thinking deeply about something… Whatever it was, she was sure to leave it alone. Lord knows when his temper might burst, and she didn't want to be the one to witness it.

"She's right. Maybe he just had to do something?" Abigail whispered hopefully. Less then half a day and the guy running the place was already gone? It seemed highly unlikely. "They said Master Fung never just leaves like that. Why would he start now? Doesn't it seem a little irresponsible for him to be leaving a couple of newbies like us alone in a temple with all these magic whatjamajiggers laying around? What were they called again..?" Kiara tapped the table, looking around for a little help with the matter. The only set of eyes that met her own were Abigail who merely shrugged. " I think they were Wu. As for Fung, could be a first time for everything…"

"Okay- he left. I get it. Really, let's just drop it for now and eat something…." Raimundo whined, rubbing his temples as he leaned over the table. Through all of the talking, he had just come to notice that there had been no meal prepared. "Who's on kitchen duty tonight?"

No one looked like they were about to own up to it. Omi was staring like a zombie where Master Fung's chair used to sit, Kimiko's eyes were glued to the wall, Clay was shaking slightly trying to make sure he kept himself completely emotionless just as he always did, then, someone spoke. "Me and Wolfie can do it. We make a mad bowl of noodles, right?" Kiara's voice sang brightly as she pushed herself away from the table. The confirmations from her brother wasn't all that convincing seeing as the only thing he did was stand up and push in his chair. That must have meant he was up for the challenge. "Great. Noodles for all! Umm… You wouldn't mind showing us where everything is, would you sensei?" She asked, waving a hand in front of Omi's face to bring him to life. He blinked a few times before nodding silently and getting to his feet. "I'll help out too if you don't have anything else for me to do. Raimundo? Can I?" Abigail asked hopefully. She was always the cook around her house of millions of brothers and sisters so she at least wanted to supervise to make sure everything was going smoothly. Maybe at the same time she could learn a few things too. Her teacher didn't seem to mind the idea as he peeled himself from the table before making his way for the cabnets. "Nah, I think we're done for the day. Besides, we can't train all that well when you can't see what you're doing outside…" It looked as if this were going to be a group project led by the cooking twins. Kimiko even bothered to be the audience seeing as she had nothing better to do; however, Clay didn't seem to be the one to play the shadow in the corner. Silently he floated out of the room without disturbing anything or catching much attention in the process. Just the escape he had wanted.

The only ones who seemed to notice were Kimiko, who frowned at his bad mood that had been showing more often then usual today, and Candace who was literally grabbing on to the edge of the counter to keep from following him. The curiosity to his strange personality and silence was almost too great to pass up, especially with everyone now crowding the kitchen to cook. Hmm… Be smothered to death, or die at the hand of his teacher whom was apparently a great warrior… Her second choice seemed more honorable. Almost as swiftly as her teacher had made her exit, Candace followed after him.

As the others innocently conjured up dinner in an attempt of having a good time through something distressful, no one had any idea what was awaiting them merely days in the future.


	9. Tempers begin to show

Alrighty then! After a week of relaxing I think my writer's block has now aired out a little. Pfft. It sounds like some sort of fungus or something. xD Anyway~ Here is the wonderful Chapter number nine- full of lovely intense scenes!! Yummy. xD

Down the labyrinth of hallways Candace followed behind her unknowing teacher who refused to stop until he was safe inside his room. Little did she know he could tell someone had been following him down there… It's hard to sneak up on someone who could feel every step of their stalker from the vibrations of the floor. Closing the door and shutting out the rest of the world, Clay untied the black silken belt around his shirt before letting it slide down his arms to fall to the floor. Something wasn't sitting right with Master Fung leaving so suddenly… Something that was worrying him to the point his stomach churned and ached when he thought of eating, so for tonight he would go without. Shirtless and confused he fell to his knees on the mat reserved for him to sleep, and then twisted around and fell to his back, his blue eyes staring up at the ceiling as thoughts darted through his mind.

This isolated behavior her sensei was showing intrigued Candace. He had been so nice before… So very social and joking. Now he was just going to shut himself from the rest of the world? That didn't seem right for him… In her case however, that is what she normally did. Avoid all human relationships was pretty much her life's motto, so why was she here now…? Who knew? She didn't. Stepping out from behind the corner of the hallway, she slowly made her way down the path of rooms lined up side by side. Maybe if it were possible she could act like she wasn't concerned in the least? That seemed like a good idea. Luckily the two of their rooms were side by side, unlike any of the other students with their teachers, so it wouldn't be hard to grab his attention nonchalantly.

As Candace stepped into her room, she heaved a great, dramatic sigh before falling to her knees and sitting on the floor, her eyes glued to the curtain that separated her from her sensei with expectancy. The hall was silent for a minute until she tried again. Her fist hit the ground beside her lap, anger playing at the corners of her mouth. She really should have told the others that she had seen Master Fung leaving. Maybe if she had, he wouldn't be gone now and everything would be better? Perhaps Clay would be out among the others in the kitchen, playing the part of a carefree socialite that was a hell of a lot less scary then this was. Maybe the others would be happier as well… Oh, why did she care anyway? None of them had ever done anything for her anyway. No one ever did. Now she was trying to consider their feelings? "Hmph! Like I need any of them anyway…" She muttered to herself, stopping the pounding of the mat to notice that her knuckles were in pain.

"Somethin' the matter?" Clay's deep voice rumbled, shattering the silence. Though he didn't normally like to snoop, she was making it rather hard to ignore her troubles. He stretched out to the curtain and threw it back so that it was no longer separating their domains.

This had been the reaction that Candace had been wanting all along, but sadly old habits took seize over her already ticked mind. "Excuse me, but did I say I wanted you in here? Have you never heard of privacy in your life?" she snapped, almost instantly wanting to take that back when she saw the hurt in his eyes. Clay had only wanted to make sure everything was okay before she opened her big mouth yet again. Maybe this was why she was doomed to a forever being alone.

"No, you didn't, but I had to say something before you crunched that fist of yours against the floor 'till it broke. You're gonna need that tomorrow," He said, looking sternly at the hand she held to her stomach. "Besides, what ever is wrong probably aint worth hurting yourself over. So cut it out."

The demanding in his voice surprised Candace. Clay hadn't yet really tried to exercise his power over her, and for it to happen just because she had been hitting at the ground a little was a bit confusing. Why did he mind it if she was taking out her anger on the floor? It wasn't like she had just burned down a building or severely hurt someone. The confusion of her teacher's intentions turned into acid in her mouth. "So what if I hit the ground a little bit? What does that matter to you anyway?" she spat, heightening herself onto her knees to give a look of superiority over her moody little sensei. She dared Clay with her eyes to try and control her now.

Jeez this woman could be hostile! Clay barely knew how to react, but as a reflex he stared into her eyes with questioning. What was the source to all of this anger in the first place, or did he actually deserve all of it? Did he just cross some sort of line that shouldn't have been crossed when meeting her? Did she think that she was so independent that she didn't need anyone? To all of his mental questions, he answered them with 'yes' and reached for the curtain again . " I guess it don't matter. I guess I'll just leave you be then. G'night." He murmured, his brows pulled together under his shield of blonde bangs that he used to hide himself until the curtain was closed again and not another word was spoken out of him. Once again separated, he lay flat on his bed and pulled the blankets up to his shoulder before turning his back toward her room.

Candace mentally kicked herself in the face. If she had been trying to make him feel better, though she really didn't know what she had been trying to do in the first place, that had not been the correct way to do it. Frowning, she turned her own back toward the curtain that separated them and lay on her side, glaring at the wall that stood in front of her nose now. Had she really been alone for so long that she didn't know how to properly communicate with another person? That was a scary thought to have.

The stomping and patter of feet brought the hallway to life as the Dragons and their new students began to head to their rooms after the feast of noodles and broth. If it weren't for Clay's stomach heaving every now and then, the wave of the aroma of their dinner would have set him straight and send him running to the kitchen. Sadly, the mixture of an upset stomach, a bad attitude, and an unclear future for them all was starving Clay for the night.

Soon the darkness began to take its toll on the exhausted monks, making their eyes heavy and lulling them to sleep with the sounds of night. Crickets chirping and the sound of the leaves rustling in the slight breeze caressed their minds with nothing but good thoughts before sending them to sleep.

"Sleep, Xiaolin Monks of old and that are new…" A shadowy figure hissed as the wind began to pick up speed. "Your precious Master is not here to protect you now_. Rest up while you can_." With that the shape was off, to plot and to plan the days to come.


End file.
